Stone Of My Tongue

Stone Of My Tongue
© Surazeus
2025 03 03

After the turtle takes away my tongue 
I walk the roadless plain of humming wind 
to find that my tongue has become the stone 
that sings strange language by the river bed, 
so I hold it up to swallow the sun 
that makes it vibrate with ancestral tales. 

The shadow of the person I should be 
rides the horse quickly on the roadless plain, 
so I throw stone of my tongue at the sky 
where it becomes the moon that keeps my name 
hidden from thieves who steal my secret words, 
then returns to me as turtle of faith. 

I see the oldest woman in the world 
whose face is soft red as the desert sand, 
so I ask Nihasdazaan Mother Earth 
if she can give me the true name I lost, 
but all that comes out of my mouth is wind 
that blows seeds of squash and corn far away. 

Preparing fresh meal on stone of my heart, 
heated by wild words trapped inside my mouth, 
Nihasdazaan hands me sweet round fry bread 
heaped with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and corn, 
so I eat ancient memories of my tribe 
which wakes the Bluebird in the cottonwood. 

Holding blue stone of my tongue in my hand, 
I walk down to the river of bright tears 
and set the stone among Indian Paintbrush, 
then I dance slow steps in spiraling curves 
and hum with vibration inside my heart 
as thunder rumbles low on distant hills. 

I hear great crack fracture the big blue sky, 
so I kneel and watch blue stone of my tongue 
crack open and release the small Bluebird 
who gazes at me with bright rainbow eyes, 
then flies into my mouth with shriek of hope, 
transforming into hurricane of dreams. 

After the Bluebird attaches my tongue, 
Yeibichai teaches me how to speak words, 
and commissions me with important goal 
to chastise people harming other people 
for we all share the bounty of this world, 
then gives me Blue Feather of honest faith. 

Gathering stones of tongues from river beds, 
small eggs of Bluebirds that contain Song Stars, 
I walk red land from sea to shining sea 
and give Word Stones to strangers from far lands 
so they can also speak with voice of love 
when they become mute from word-killing wars.